Interview With Lily Frei: The Girl Who’ll Out-Squat Most Men

There aren’t too many people on this planet that manage to “catch my eye” and intrigue me to the point where I feel the need to go out of my way to pick their brains. However, Lily happens to be such a person that not only managed to grab my attention, but also managed to impress me at the same time. So naturally, I decided to interview her.

Now you might be thinking “there are plenty of women out there that can lift a respectable amount of weight, what’s so special about her?” Well the answer is quite simple – body composition.

There are indeed many powerlifters out there (male and female) that can push around monstrous weights, but they rarely look the part. And to me, this is a no-no. What good is a bench press of 500 pounds of you rock a belly with the circumference of the freakin’ moon? The video below shows exactly why I chased her down (and as you’ll soon see, words don’t do it justice).

This is where Lily stands out – not only can she lift some serious weight, she looks great doing it! A perfect blend where the physique is a result of strength training, and therefore I asked her to spill every tactic she utilized which got her to where she is today.

The Interview

Me: So first up, props for doing this interview. Why don’t you start with who you are, how you got into lifting weights and when you started?

Lily: I’m Lily, 26, and have been weightlifting for close to a decade. My dad, Max, was a pro-level bodybuilder – he won the Mr. Austria title at eighteen, and continued to compete through much of my young life. At 6’4 and 305, his stature demanded attention, and he worked hard for it. As a result, I’ve been in gyms since I was just a little munchkin. (Though the playrooms were much less entertaining than they are now; kids these days have ROCK WALLS to climb on!) At ten years old, I was drinking protein shakes to be like daddy, and at sixteen I joined the swim team…. only to eventually realize that I liked being in the gym more than being in the pool.

After a bout of teenage stupidrexia that left me 95lbs and miserable, I started trying to actually understand fitness. I read sassy, smart articles from the strong women of Stumptuous, and gradually began to grasp the idea that lifting weights wouldn’t instantly turn me into the Hulk like my dad. I gained a foundation in proper form, persistence and consistency from him (or as he would say “she got her OCD from me”), and went off to college basking in the glow of having overpowered the wild, rampant misinformation on how the body works. I got my nutrition in order and started gaining healthy muscle mass, though the process was slow.

On March 24th, 2007, two police officers came to my dorm room and told me that my dad had been killed on his motorcycle, and I would be flying home to my mom and brother the next day. For those who know what it’s like to lose your hero and someone you love and look up to desperately, you may understand, for those who don’t, you can’t possibly imagine. Everything in my nineteen-year-old world came to a halt… except my workouts. I’ve seen a squat rack through the blur of tears more times than I care to admit. I became a regular on his fitness board, where everyone who had loved and admired him showered me with positive reinforcement and accurate advice. I dug up his posts about weight training, supplements, and competition diets, and with inspiration from the old pros, I dove into Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength, or as I like to call it “El Bible” (BEE-blay). It was all downhill from there.

I turned into something of an addict, and became rather isolated. The iron was my truest friend. I depended on it for stability, for pain, anger and fear management; instead of becoming an alcoholic or going into therapy (which I probably should have, but I don’t tend to trust easily), I did weights. I even scheduled classes around the times I wanted to train – usually morning/early afternoon to dodge the crowds – and I’ve been kicked out of numerous gyms (read: health spas, orfitness chains *gag*) around my city, because they don’t want their members becoming liabilities by actually lifting the big plates. It’s a right shame that chalk is almost never legal.

With help from the members of my dad’s fitness forum, I found a friendly, diverse gym that allowed me to store my own set of bumper plates so I could train my Olympic style lifts without getting grief. As such, I feel somewhat lucky that most people at Impact accept and even encourage me. Every other week someone asks me if I’m competing… I’ve even been in their commercial! (:22 clumsy jerk with the absurd red socks) While I’ve relaxed my obsession and eased my depression with the help of cannabis to allow a tame social life, my dedication and actual love of weightlifting hasn’t waned. Many a time as I’m walking through the gym I’ve thought to myself, “I’ll never let this go. I know for sure that I’m going to be doing this always.”

Me: Sorry to hear about your loss. I can tell you’ve definitely been through some shit, and it almost feels like you want to carry on your dad’s legacy, which is admirable. And I’m sure he’d be hella proud of your accomplishments. One thing that really stuck out to me was this: “Everything in my nineteen-year-old world came to a halt… except my workouts.” That little line is so significant, I don’t even know where to begin.

I sometimes get clients telling me they skipped a workout because XYZ happened. To that I usually say, “so did you stop breathing? No? Then why did you stop your workout?” So my next question to you would be, what advice would you give those that for whatever reason have lost all motivation? Out of everything you stopped doing, why did you decide to keep your workouts going?

Lily: Well, I’d wager that I’m relatively atypical when it comes to motivation – I enjoy my workouts and rarely want to skip them. Lifting is therapy. In fact, I can get pretty pissy if I’m forced to skip too many days. I feel like I’m losing my conditioning and entering into endorphin withdrawal. It seems to me, however, that if you’re not motivated enough, then you don’t want it badly enough. If you want it, you’ll make it a priority, make it a habit; if you see it as a chore, you’ll get lazy and make excuses. I think it’s difficult for some because the reward mechanism (long-term results) isn’t usually immediate.

But once you’re consistent enough to start seeing results, I say go wild; let it become an obsession. That being said, the first step is knowing what the fuck you’re doing and why. Have a set routine like the Bill Starr 5×5, which allows you to quantify your progression. Once your bod is bangin’ enough to set people on fire, or you feel strong enough to make the Earth rumble, working out will become a completely automatic necessity.

Me: I feel you on letting it become an obsession. My goal is to get people to start forming habits… once those are set, you really won’t have to think about them too much. Now as far as the internet goes, you’ve obviously become known for your squat video, but besides the squat, what are some of your favourite lifts? And are there any particular muscles you just enjoy working?

Lily: I train lifts, not muscles, but there’s something about the wicked blood rushing back pumps from a couple heavy deadlift sets that totally gets me off. I’d have to say my favorite lift of all though, for its complexity and finesse, is the clean and jerk. The C&J is the total package of compound lifting. Each part of the lift has to be executed with controlled explosiveness and skill to achieve the ultimate goal of giving gravity the middle finger. The weight has to make it from dead on the floor to completely extended above the lifter’s head in a straight line – it’s the ultimate display of power and coordination.

Me: C&J has to be one of my favorites, no doubt. How’s your snatch? Mine suck shit at the moment.

Lily: Ugh, my snatch is awful (haha… but really). Snatches are like the troll brother of C&Js – it’s so easy to get sloppy on the form, and so difficult to get a good weight up. And the only way to get a better snatch is to train snatches. I consider it a good day when I’m not falling all over the place or hurting myself somehow while working them. Anyone who can get up a solid snatch is a boss in my book.

Me: Haha how true. Can I snatch you away to go take some lessons with some Olympic coaches? You can be my partner… so I’m not the only one looking like a dork. I reside at a commercial gym, so when I try snatches or even the C&J, I get “the looks”. The best is when I bring in a block of chalk – but you already know what that’s like.

Lily: Haha, yeah, like I said, I got lucky with my current gym. I can use chalk and drop weights and whatever, as long as I keep things clean and don’t scare off any potential members. Though I find most people actually enjoy watching me lift; I mean there are a few pretty huge dudes in that gym, but I’m still the only one who does Olympic lifts. I’d kill to train under any of the big Oly coaches. There aren’t any athletic clubs in my area (like, at all). I often find it depressing that I’m around so few people who know more about the Olympic lifts and strength training in general.

Me: Oh I’d totally say people enjoy watching you lift… you have like 10 thousand views on youtube! I hope you’re ready for two things: Stardom and stalkers haha. Ok so let’s talk realistic advice. You are obviously living proof that women can rock a great body while lifting heavy, or even lifting at all. How do you manage your composition? Is it pure lifting only, or do you throw in cardio every now and then along with watching your caloric intake? Give us a break down of “Lily’s method”

Lily: The short answer: clean diet, regular sleep, smart supplementation, good genetics and some heavy ass weights.

The breakdown…

Training – 3-4 days a week of weightlifting preceded by a dynamic cardio warmup. Cardio isn’t my focus, but it has its place and I’d be remiss if I left it out entirely. I get bored easily with cardio, so I like to mix things up with some occasional swimming, cycling, rock climbing, etc. I also recently got back into equestrian sports, which I’m EXTREMELY excited about. I used to compete years ago in three-day eventing and show jumping arenas. It’s interesting to see how my strength from lifting lends itself to improving my skills on horseback. As far as my lifting routine, I follow a linear progression model, and depending on how I feel and where I am in my training cycle I alternate my focus on different lifts.

Food – it’s fuel, and I eat a lot of it. Muscle mass burns mad calories, so my energy requirement is pretty high. If you’ve ever read articles by fitness people on food, you’re going to hear the same things from me, because eating for performance is relatively universal, and based on common sense. I cook often, eat out seldom, prep meals in advance and drink a metric fuck-ton of water. My diet is composed primarily of lean meats, colorful vegetables, nuts, eggs, sprouted grains, oats and whey/casein protein (which many would consider a supplement). No starchy/yeasty carbs, preservatives, refined sugar, mystery meat, or fried shit on a stick for this machine.

I can be quite the food-elitist; if it’s mass-produced like the stuff you get from most fast food chains or restaurants, the quality is usually low and my organs are too good for it. I also limit dairy, gluten, and salt, and I never drink calories. (Which means the word “diet” on any labels, and Splenda in my tea – deal with it. Everything else is liquid candy, except booze, which is toxic sludge.) I buy fresh fish and vegetables about every week and apply some form of heat to them (cooking really isn’t that baffling or difficult), usually a roast or stir-fry. A good diet can become just as much of a habit as a solid workout routine, it just takes self-control.

While eating the right foods is essential, knowing when to eat them and how to combine them are huge factors. The key to weight loss and that common saying “a good body (abs) is made in the kitchen” is not just calorie restriction, but insulin management. My composition is founded in genetics, but enhanced through heavy lifting and insulin control. I’m not going to divulge the science behind macromolecules and the hormonal responses to food, as there’s plenty of literature available if you search for it.

The basic rule I follow is this: focus carbohydrate intake (both complex and simple) around workouts and mornings. The body needs more energy at those times than when you’re sitting at your computer at night. If I consume a carb-heavy meal any other time of day (sushi is a weakness…a DELICIOUS weakness), I precede it with a supplement to blunt the insulin response and utilize the carbohydrates efficiently. (My supplement of choice for this purpose is called Glucorell-R produced by Anafit Supplements.) I won’t pretend that I’ve put myself through any real hardcore pre-competition dieting, as I tend to keep it simple with food – no calorie counting, or food scales, or “today I had seven almonds for a snack”, just proper macronutrient timing and quality above all else.

Supplements – I take all the basic stuff that I think a lot, if not most people should include in their diets for various reasons. Apart from the aforementioned whey/casein proteins and Glucorell, I also include a standard multi, EFA oil (essential fatty acids), joint supplement (glucosamine-chondroitin/MSM), green phyters, some kidney/liver support among others. My CEE (creatine ethyl ester) cycles in and out… but usually in.

Sleep – Easily one of the most important things for your wellbeing… you just have to get enough of it. Harder than it sounds sometimes. It often means I don’t go out to parties that aren’t worth it like your average twenty-three-year-old, and not enough sleep is to me the only legitimate excuse other than emergencies to skip a workout. I don’t force my body to perform if it hasn’t gotten the rest it needed from the previous workout; that’s how you get sick.

That’s about all I can think of as far as my method goes. And wow, I definitely didn’t notice that video had so many views until you mentioned it. I could handle stardom. Stalkers will be handled as well – violently by the balls. :)

Me: That’s one kick ass breakdown and I’m loving the fact that you went into so much detail. And I’m not sure if it’s because I haven’t had my coffee today, but I totally read that as “Analfit Supplements”. Regardless, when you look behind the scenes like this, you can easily tell why you can squat such impressive numbers. You’re a testament that hard word and determination totally fucking pays off, so my hats off to you for that.

Now I want to lighten things up a little bit and talk about a topic that has been biting away at my curiosity… the use of MaryJane. Now I don’t really care about the ethics because honestly, I could give two shits about what people think about the substance, since I tend to smoke it socially from time to time. What I wanted to know was, do you feel it negatively affects your performance in anyway shape or form?

Lily: Marijuana has been nothing but good for me. It’s a sad testament to its media-induced reputation and controversial nature that you phrased the question with regards to negativity. As someone with clinical depression and anxiety, I am a much calmer, happier person with cannabis in my life and cannabinoids from a natural leaf in my body as opposed to damaging chemical pharmaceutical drugs. I’ve been through SSRIs and they were just too overpowering for my everyday life. Marijuana is relaxing, enlightening, stimulating, and utterly harmless compared to legal recreational substances (alcohol and tobacco).

I openly support legalization and refuse to perpetuate the unnecessary fear and delusional mindsets associated with prohibition. I’d say the only drawback would be the lapse in self-control that messes up my diet: damn the munchies. But a direct counterargument there is the lessening of my hyper-regimented (mild OCD) mindset regarding food. I can relax my grip a little when necessary, like when I’m trying to gain mass. Getting in 4k cals a day can be hard for someone my size – Maryjane helps me eat (think, if you required as much food as Michael Phelps does to win gold medals, you’d be hitting some bongs too).

Now, working out high is an experience all its own, and not recommend for everyone. Generally, doing things you already enjoy while high just enhances your enjoyment. I find I’m capable of doing more in the gym with a little buzz, but I’m still experimenting in that department. So far, I would suggest proceeding with caution (lightheadedness has been an issue) and choosing a Sativa dominant strain. Listening to epic dubstep music in stoned surround sound and busting out a couple hours of C&Js is probably one of the most personally zen things I can think of.

Here’s an infographic for you. I also highly recommend The Union if you want to watch a really informative documentary on ganja. Knowledge is power, people.

Me: I have indeed watched The Union and I’m glad you brought it up. My belief is that weed is on the verge of being legalized and that it will happen in our lifetime. That will be quite a day. Anyways Lily, I want to give you a major thanks for doing this interview and spilling everything you had for my readers. Before we end off, is there anything else you want to add? And also, let everyone know how they can reach you as I’m sure some love mail wants to find it’s way into your inbox.

Lily: I’m quite glad (and flattered!) that you wanted to pick my brain, so, thanks for the interview. The more people educated about fitness and nutrition, the better… as long as they vacate my squat rack around 5pm. I get asked for advice fairly often in the gym, and I always end up telling people things they don’t want to hear, no matter how I try to convince them that challenging yourself physically is FUN. I suppose there’s a certain level of pride in knowing how to take care of your body despite the wild barrage of stimuli for women in all the wrong directions.

I remember finally realizing years ago that I didn’t want to be skinny, I wanted to be strong. From then on I was able to shake my head and laugh at the Photoshopped women in magazines, “tips for a flat belly” articles, and ads for shortcut diet pills that require you to be near a bathroom every time you eat. Fuck that nonsense, there are no shortcuts. If you care about your health, you’ll be willing to put your time and energy into understanding it. If not, hope that yo-yo dieting and chronic fatigue works out for you. “Do what you’ve always done and you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.”

My email address is scarlettchild [at] gmail [dot] com – I will more than welcome any questions/feedback/fan mail (haha) that comes my way, and I’ll do my best to offer friendly advice. However, don’t expect me to sugar-coat my responses. My nature can be relatively blunt, and sugar is the white death. :)

Me: Well if someone is an avid reader of my site and was put off by a “blunt” response from your end, feel free to smack them – they should know what to expect by now ;)

Lily’s Stats

Height: 5’4.5
Weight: 135-145lbs

Some Of Lily’s Older 1RM’s (current ones are probably higher)
Squat: 245lbs
Bench Press: 155lbs
Deadlift: 250lbs
Clean & Jerk: 165lbs
Snatch: 125lbs

End Notes…

So there you have it, what did you think? If you have even a whisper of a voice or an opinion, be sure to leave a comment for Lily and share this with others. As I’ve always said, women should be lifting, just like men. So it’s important to get the word out.

There were a few other things Lily and I discussed on the side such as CEE vs Creatine Monohydrate. I figured I’d take a minute to talk about this CEE vs monohydrate hoopla as I know a debate will pop out of nowhere if it doesn’t go addressed.

I strongly favor creatine monohydrate over all the other fancy permutations for good reason, it was proven superior. But Lily uses CEE, and so to prevent a bunch of emails asking “why” or “what’s best” my response is the following: Monohydrate is still king, as long as you don’t notice any bloating or other minor side effects. Creapure creatine is probably your best bet as it’s the highest quality you can get. If however you find that monohydrate gives you an upset stomach etc, try CEE. It’ll cost you a bit extra though and you’ll be sacrificing performance.

Another aspect you should be aware of is that some of you dorks are just plain unresponsive to creatine supplementation. This group of people is not that large as far as I know, but if you find that you went through an entire bottle/tub of creatine and didn’t notice a difference in performance (assuming you stuck to recommended intake guidelines) then it’s safe to say that you’re probably pissing it all away. Literally. Save your cash or seek out some nutrition experts to see how this can be fixed.